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POLITICO 44

Most big prizefights have an “undercard” — bouts between lesser-known opponents that precede the main event. The undercard in the 2010 elections is the battle for control of state legislatures — which could determine how congressional lines are drawn for the next decade.

A few legislative seats here, a few legislative seats there will decide which party controls one or both chambers of the legislatures, which will be responsible the following year for mapping districts of their state congressional delegations.

Both parties know these races are a priority and are pouring resources into key battleground states. Republicans, for example, have a chance to make gains in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Democrats could make gains in Texas.

The first shot in this battle is set to be fired next January, when census figures are released and we find out which states gain congressional seats and which lose them.

Current projections indicate that Texas could pick up three or four seats. A number of other Sun Belt states will each gain one seat. The big losers, continuing a trend that started 50 years ago, will be Rust Belt states such as Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa, which are all projected to lose at least one seat.

Shifting seats from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt has traditionally helped Republicans — though Latino growth in the big winner, Texas, could yield Democratic seats. And control of the legislature in states losing seats will determine who doesn’t get to sit down when the music stops — just like a game of musical chairs at a county fair.

If Democrats retain control of legislatures in some Rust Belt states, it could be Republicans who are left out in the cold.

Most people know that seats have migrated from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt during the past 50 years, but few realize how dramatic this change has been.

The next map, which should emerge a year or so later after the bloody redistricting process is done, will show which party is the loser and which party is the winner.

Redistricting is the soul of representitive politics. However, the life in America has become so complex that most people have given up on understanding government and how it works. Therefore, both parties are on the road to serving a people who have chosen to become serfs. Our current leadership could never have gained power in a commonwealth that yearns for freedom.

States constantly change from freedom to slavery or slavery to freedom through the course of history. A corrupt commonwealth will pass from freedom to slavery without bloodshed for a number of reasons. In our case the complexity of the world has simply caused the people to lose interest in freedom. We are turning our nation over to the bureaucrats, because we don't know quite what else to do. The bureaucrats have turned the dem party into their political wing, and will design our future for ease of administration, and pererquisites for bureacrats.

Sad to see freedom surrendered by a corrupt and uncaring population. Even sadder to be a boomer whose generation is the one who gave up.

The interesting thing about redistricting is the battle between self interest and party interest. Most members of Congress would like their district to be 75-25 registration in their favor. The flip side of this is that leads to more opportunities for the opposition (regardless of which party it is). Many state party heads would like as many 51-49 districts as possible giving them the chance at as large majority as possible. It will be interesting to watch.

What happened to redistricting every 10 years after the census? Come November gonna be a clean house...vote all incumbants out

Typical mindless teabagger. Believes that 24% is a majority. But, Trailer Trash Sarah comparing herself to Shakepeare is basically saying "it is OK to be stupid. Be proud of it." Palin comparing herself to Shakepeare is like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari.

Typical mindless teabagger. Believes that 24% is a majority. But, Trailer Trash Sarah comparing herself to Shakepeare is basically saying "it is OK to be stupid. Be proud of it." Palin comparing herself to Shakepeare is like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari.

This is the most intelligent member of the Democratic Party. We are so impressed by the probing intellect of the left.

We rarely get to blog about states or their influence on the governing process in the United States. However, as the article points out the states will exert tremendous influence over that process as they engage in their partisan battles to draw district boundaries following the latest census that will re-distribute the 435 House seats.

Every 10 years we are remindend that the partisan battles between the Ds and Rs exist at the state level also. Every 10 years the states bask in the opportuinity to influence the make up of Congress and to put their stamp on their parties' efforts to be in the majority in Congress. State legislatures operate as pure democracies just like Congress does, so their party leadership also fight to be the majority party. At no time is it more important then now.

What voters have to realize is that a vote for any of the state legislative Dems in all 50 states gives the progressive liberal socialist pacifist Dems nationally power to gerrymand the districts for House elections on a federal election. Time to clean out the Dems in as many state legislative races as well as guvs or risk the Left ruining the economy permanently and having a welfare dependent class regime for decades. The nation as we remember it when free enterprise reigned is now gone and Dems love it that way. Class warfare is a known ploy and they use it election after election. Thus, go out and vote all all Dems out because these thugs will redistrict for more than a generational shift toward progressive years of becoming.........Venezuela.

Typical mindless teabagger. Believes that 24% is a majority. But, Trailer Trash Sarah comparing herself to Shakepeare is basically saying "it is OK to be stupid. Be proud of it." Palin comparing herself to Shakepeare is like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari.

This is the most intelligent member of the Democratic Party. We are so impressed by the probing intellect of the left.

If you take the posters on this blog seriously, you have major psychological problems. I just post to have fun p.issing off teabagger morons. Evidently, it is working. LMFAO

OBAMA, PELOSI, REID AND AND THE LIBERALS IN CONGRESS, ALONG WITH THE BIASED MEDIA, BASED THE ENTIRE 2008 CAMPAIGN ON LIES. The Black Panther story wasn't covered by the network news. The ACORN undercover video showing employees helping people posing as criminals was not covered. Obama's czar Van Jones, friend of Obama, was forced to quit because of crazy statements (he's a marxist who believes 9-11 might have been an inside job), but that was not covered. A State Department official comparing the Arizona illegal alien law to Chinese human rights abuses was not covered. When Dr. Donald Berwick, the new head of Medicare and Medicaid, said that healthcare should be used to redistribute wealth, there was no coverage. Now a video has surfaced showing Shirley Sherrod, an Agriculture Department official, regaling an NAACP audience with a story about how she withheld help to a white farmer facing bankruptcy -- a video that now has forced her to resign --- but she's not going quietly!

WHY DID THE WASHINGTON POST WAIT SO LONG TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS? WHY ISN'T THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA NOT REPORTING THESE ISSUES? WHY DO THEY BLACKOUT STORIES WHEN THINGS BECOME UNPLEASANT FOR THE CORRUPT OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?

THIS ADMINISTRATION IS FULL RADICALS. WILL WE EVER KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT ALL OFT THEM?